Graham Platner Must Drop Out
The latest sexual‑assault allegation confirms the pattern: Graham Platner must drop out. No more excuses.
There is no other way to say this, Graham Platner has to drop out. Earlier today, Politico released an exclusive documenting the allegation that Platner, 41, sexually assaulted a Maine resident, Jenny Racicot.1 This new report, extensive in its detail, comes amid a long-standing record of alleged malfeasance by Platner and merits only one reaction: complete and total rejection. Platner is not fit for public office.
The Allegations and a Pattern
On Monday, Politico’s Jessica Piper and Adam Wren released a detailed report alleging, among other things, that Platner had assaulted a woman he dated. The woman, Jenny Raicot, alleged that Platner forced his way into her home despite her texting him to tell him not to come over.
In her three interviews with Piper and Wren, Raicot explained that:
That night in late 2021, she said she had exchanged text messages with him and told him not to come over, saying she wasn’t in the mood for company. Later that evening, she said she realized when she heard a sound on the stairs that he had let himself into her house, which was unlocked.
Platner came up the stairs, Racicot said, to where she was on a couch. He got on top of her and kept grabbing her, she said, while she repeatedly told him to stop and that she wasn’t interested. Racicot said she smelled alcohol on his breath and believed he was “almost blackout drunk” because Platner ignored her protests and continued to grab her after knocking over an antique sewing kit, spilling small needles everywhere.
“I had been telling him these words, like: ‘No, don’t,’” she recalled.
“And, the look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there’s no consent here,” she said.
Platner denies the allegations and is currently reviewing whether or not he will continue to run, but the evidence and pattern of behavior make clear what must happen.2 His candidacy is done.
These allegations don’t come out of nowhere. Taken together, these reports paint a picture of a candidate whose conduct and treatment of women have repeatedly raised red flags. Over the course of his Senate bid, Platner faced a series of disturbing allegations. Previously, the Wall Street Journal reported that Platner had sent sexually explicit texts to women despite being married, something his wife, Amy Gertner, had flagged to campaign staff. 34
In another report, The New York Times reported that multiple women who’d dated Platner described him as “toxic” and “cavalierly contemptuous of women’s emotions...” One of the women, Lyndsey Fifield, a conservative activist, also asserted that Platner was aware of the meaning of his chest tattoo, a Totenkopf, a well-established Nazi symbol. Platner previously said that he didn’t know what it meant when he got it. 5
Some may argue that because Fifield is a conservative activist, her testimony is not credible. Let me be clear, partisan or ideological identification or activity is not grounds for ignoring allegations of predatory behavior. It is one thing to be skeptical, but outright dismissal is dangerous. Allegations must be evaluated based on evidence, not ideology or partisan loyalty. Women coming forward must be given the room to have their claims assessed on the merits of evidence, not rapid tribalism and misogynistic smears.
There are plenty of men who are willing and able to pursue positions of power while hiding behind progressive politics. Demanding more of men in these spaces is a necessity to prevent this very situation.
How Not to Respond to Assault Allegations
Already, some are seeking to downplay the allegations against Platner, arguing that they are part of an establishment media smear campaign against him. The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur posted a series of tweets defending Platner, arguing that the media is seeking to sink Platner while failing to investigate his opponent, Senator Susan Collins (R-MA). 6
While I am no fan of Senator Collins, there is no excuse for this line of reasoning. Multiple women have gone on the record to describe Platner’s excessive drinking, disturbing comments about rape, and infidelity, and now one woman, who put her name on the line in the very state Platner seeks to represent, has accused him of sexual assault. Senator Collins has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with Platner and his unfitness for public office.
Taking that seriously is not an issue for the establishment; it is a human rights issue. Women have a right to be heard with dignity and respect, and their allegations of misconduct against figures in our politics, particularly men, deserve due respect, especially when they are against people we want to see elected.
Nor is it the first time Democrats have had to deal with this kind of allegation and weak denial. As Paige F noted in a recent video detailing Platner’s denial, Eric Swalwell also played this game of faux shock.7 These denials are insulting.
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If America is to achieve a more egalitarian and free state, it must take women’s allegations against men seriously. Not tomorrow, not in some hypothetical future, but now. Progressive campaigns, institutions, and activists must do better.
Conclusion
The fact of the matter is that Graham Platner is not fit for office. Whatever your politics, principles, or belief systems, calling for Platner to drop out is the bare minimum. Our nation is already being led by men who have shown their consistent disregard for women’s dignity; there is no reason for us to make that worse by allowing new predators into the leadership of the Democratic Party.
I wish I could say that these revelations lower the bar for how men in politics have conducted themselves, but the bar is in hell. If we are to raise it even slightly, then Platner and men like him must be driven from the party post haste. Believe women.
Adam Wren and Jessica Piper, “Exclusive: Woman Who Dated Graham Platner Says He Sexually Assaulted Her,” POLITICO, July 6, 2026, https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737.
Andrew Howard, “Platner Says He Is ‘Taking the Time to Reflect’ on His Candidacy,” POLITICO, accessed July 6, 2026, https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-time-to-reflect-allegations-00987897.
Aaron Zitner and Tarini Parti, “Graham Platner’s Wife Flagged Sexually Explicit Texts to His Senate Campaign,” Politics, Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2026, https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/graham-platners-wife-flagged-sexually-explicit-texts-to-his-senate-campaign-628ec832.
Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer, “Platner’s Texts With Women Concerned Campaign as Senate Race Took Off,” U.S., The New York Times, May 30, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/us/politics/graham-platner-maine-senate-texts.html.
Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer, “Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall ‘Unsettling’ Behavior,” U.S., The New York Times, June 4, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/us/politics/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html.
Uygur, Cenk (@cenkuygur). “This is what I know for sure about Platner - every legacy media outlet is trying their hardest to make sure he loses. They are investigating every minute and every facet of his life. They never do this for insiders. They despise outsiders who challenge power. The minute a.” Twitter, July 6, 2026.
Fullman, Paige. “Graham Platner Has to Go.” TikTok video, 2026.
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